The White Elephant

• The Hurting Blog
  Tim O'Neil writes: "The creators’ willingness to take some very interesting risks with the material bodes well for their future endeavors – its always a good sign when young cartoonists are eager to explore the formalistic constraints of the medium. That tells me that despite the somewhat mixed results on display here, these two creators are already thinking about the medium in terms of a long-term creative engagement."
  
  
• Paperback Reader
  Erin Schadt writes: "Most books, comics or not, you may read once and later remember the general plot or a feeling you had while reading it, but this one will stick with you. This is a book not to be forgotten once read, and I encourage everyone to read it."
  
  
• Pop Matters
  Ryan Paul writes "Hurd's goal, however, seems not to be to explore such experimental and avant-garde structural concepts, but rather to maximize the storytelling potential of the medium. As his work on The White Elephant shows, there is far more to the simple combination of words and pictures than many realize."
  
  
• ComixFan
  Al Harahap says "This is a graphic novel that lives up to the loftiness of that term. This is art, this is literature. There is a level of emotional reality and truth that is touched here, again and again, that makes you feel for Gene as you would care for a real, flesh and blood human being."
  
  
• Comic Book Network
  David LeBlanc says "This is a powerful study on the nature of relations that can be shattered, even by the acts of others beyond our control. The layout as a play is very effective in telling the story and one could see how it would work in that medium as well."
  
  
• Pop Thought
  Jeremy Clifft says "Fans of Hurd's previous works will no doubt enjoy The White Elephant even though this is by far Hurd's most serious and somber work."
  
  
• Comics Worth Reading: Cognitive Dissonance
  Johanna Draper Carlsson reviews The White Elephant in her 'Cognitive Dissonance' column on Comics Worth Reading.
  
  
• The Fourth Rail (Critiques on Infinite Earths) First Looks
  Don MacPherson reviews The White Elephant in his 'Critiques on Infinite Earths' column on The Fourth Rail. "I love that Hurd has set this story up as a stage play. I wonder if this book originally began as a lengthy one-act play. Hurd has placed the "sets" perfectly and instructed his "actors" on the blocking nicely. I'd honestly be interested to see this performed, and I'm impressed that Hurd was able to capture that quiet, dramatic feel in comic-book form. "
  
  
• Previews Review
  THE WHITE ELEPHANT is a comics adaptation of a play, and is 'about' the stage, with some lovely art. If you were a fan of Hurd's MY UNCLE JEFF or A SORT OF HOMECOMING, you should check this one out.
  
  
• Ninth Art: The Forecast for July 21, 2004
  Hurd's writing has rapidly gained him recognition and acclaim that several small-press veterans can only dream of.
  
  

• Comic Book Resources: Damon Hurd's Very Own White Elephant
  Damon Hurd is interviewed by Jonah Weiland of Comic Book Resources.
  
  
• Previews: 2 Alternatives in May
  Damon Hurd is interviewed by Salmon Doubts creator Adam Sacks (and vice versa) in the March issue of Diamond Comics' Previews.